How pairing Caleb Williams' escapability and Ben Johnson's offense has lifted the Bears' offense

Manti Te’o on Bears’ comeback wins and why he’s buying into Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams | Toyota Talks

In this week’s Toyota Talks, Lou Canellis is joined by NFL Network’s Manti Te’o to discuss what Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears have shown him after a pair of thrilling wins over the past two weeks. #sponsored

When Caleb Williams has his moments, players turn reactive, coaches hold their breath, and fans wait to see what happens next.

Those moments turn into plays like his 27-yard gain to set the Chicago Bears up at the Giants’ one-yard line. Eventually, the Bears scored a touchdown.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson sees the upside in moments like this.

"I'm thinking I'm the best coach in America," Johnson said with a smile. "I mean, that’s a hell of a play call, wasn’t it?"

Williams’ ability to ad lib on structured play calls hasn’t been as pronounced as it was last season. The reason is one that Bears fans hoped for after watching Williams get sacked 68 times in 2024. The offensive line is just better, and Williams doesn’t have to scramble as much.

However, Williams’ ability to create under duress is what’s helped the Bears win two games now. Johnson and the Bears’ offensive coaches have helped build that ability into the Bears’ offense.

What they're saying:

Against the Giants, faced with a first down at the New York 17-yard line, Williams took a snap and ran play action. He faked a run to the right and started running left. The call was a naked bootleg, meaning he had a designed run to the left.

Williams was by himself since the Giants overpursued to stop the run to the right. With a good block by Cole Kmet, he got into the end zone. The Bears take the lead.

Williams said he considers himself one of the better athletes on the field. He’s shown it with key runs against the Giants and Bengals. But, that’s never the primary goal. The Bears have spent much of the offseason, preseason and first half of the season working on the offensive timing in the passing game.

Now, the two sides are starting to see how Williams’ ability to escape and create can marry with the structure of Johnson’s offense.

"I think coach's emphasis on me getting the ball out," Williams said. "Then when it's time to go make a play, make the plays."

The first part was always the aspect of the offense that’s the most important. The Bears don’t get to play within a structure without the offensive line.

The Bears are tied in allowed the third fewest sacks so far in 2025, with Williams only being sacked 14 times. That’s tied with the Packers, Rams and Falcons. Johnson pointed to a handful of facets.

The additions of Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney have paid dividends. Darnell Wright has been playing better with each passing week. Theo Benedet has to settle more into his spot at left tackle, but it’s nowhere near as dire as last season.

"Part of it is the guys I’ve got up front, they've been awesome for me and for us," Williams said. "Kudos to them and love those guys up front."

Johnson also praised the running game’s emergence. The tight ends are important in the Bears’ protection schemes, too. These parts have all come together to protect the quarterback at a consistent level. Still, when things break down, Williams has been key in avoiding sacks.

That’s a skill Johnson knows is one of the best assets his offense has. It’s a reason why the Bears have two games this season with zero sacks allowed.

"I've got a lot of confidence in our line right now and what they're doing. We've got some really clean pockets throughout," Johnson said. "I think it always starts there, but there's no mistaking what Caleb can do. He just feels it. The way he evades, I think it's second to none."

Dig deeper:

While avoiding sacks has been one of Williams’ best traits, the Bears still want him to attack the field more.

That requires staying in the pocket just a tick more, as Johnson put it.

"When we talk about it with him, it's that you don't want to take away that natural instinct that he has, but yet there's a little bit of, ‘man, if we stay in here, I think this is unlocks even more of your game, and we will have some more explosive plays potentially,’" Johnson said. "We're working through that and I think he's right on track with where we had hoped we would see him at midseason."

The Bears are currently on track.

Johnson’s offense ranks third in the NFL in average yards per game, averaging 379.8 offensive yards per game. Williams is on track to be the first Bears quarterback to eclipse 4,000 yards as a passer.

He nearly connected on two more scramble plays for touchdowns against the Giants. The timing is tricky, but the Bears know Williams can create when most others can’t.

That ability has led to fewer sacks and more plays in the clutch for the Bears in 2025. It’s also a reason why the Bears are 6-3 in November.

"That's the beauty behind what we have going right now is, as a coaching staff, we try to get that primary receiver open as much as we can. Sometimes the defense doesn't cooperate with you," Johnson said. "Caleb knows that if we can't get one to two or if he's feeling the pressure, he can still make us right and we can still have a good place. So, I think it's a cool thing about where we're at right now."

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